I am considering moving my 34' Hunter sailboat from Dana Point, Ca to Cape Hatteras, NC. The trade off is selling my boat here and getting a new boat there. Does anyone have experience moving their boat long distance that they can share? I have no experience with this and need any help you can provide. Thank you!

I wouldn't recommend it unless you are unable to find anything on the East coast meeting your needs. The cost is prohibitive.

As an example, I am looking at transporting a 44' sailboat (13.5' beam) from San Francisco to Seattle. After yard fees and transport costs, it will be 7-8K from water to water. I would assume half that again for an east coastdelivery. With the availability of good boats in that area for purchase, I would just sell and buy something different on the East coast, you will be money ahead.

Moving a boat from the West coast to East is an expensive decision regardless of the path you choose.

I recently researched moving a Gulfstar 47 from San Diego, CA to Bradenton, Florida by land transport. I obtained two quotes both in the range $14k-$16k plus $2,500 for haulout, demasting and reinstalling mast and splash. Placing the same boat on a freighter is three times this cost.

Food for thought....The sale of a boat on the West coast and purchase on East coast involves more than inconvenience and time. Typical brokerage commission is 10% and sales tax in NC averages. 6.9% when including local surcharges. So for example, if one assumes you sell the boat for $50K and replace it with another one of comparable value, the expense is 16.9% of $50K or $8,450. Naturally, this figure doesn't include either the frustration or time for conducting these transactions.
And finally, you know what you have in your boat now, will you be able to say that immediately after buying a replacement?

The above scenarios may not capture all the costs but serves as a good starting point for analysis.

I think timing would be a key factor. If you are in a hurry, shipping might be the better option but if you have time, and given the shear volume of boats available on the east coast vs the west coast, selling and buy a replacement might pay off. Something to consider is the type of sailing you will encounter in NC. A boat suitable for the west coast might not be the best option for your new sailing grounds.

It is a shame that Dockwise, doesn't serve the West Coast like it did a few years back, when I shipped my Morgan 36 OI ketch, from Ft Lauderdale, FL to Vancouver, BC. for 9-k. ALL I had to do, was drive my boat on and off the Yacht Transporter.

You might check with them, and see if you could meet one of their ships some where in Mexico or Panama and have them deliver it to the East Coast. You would save a good bit of money on de-commissioning and re-commissioning. To many of my friends have had their boats damaged by shipping via truck.

I understand there is some company that will your boat as deck cargo. If you really like what you have, you might look into that.

We just had a thread discussing moving a boat east to west that covers the same ground, and would be worth reviewing.

One difference here is that it is possible to move the boat from California to Texas at a much lower cost, then take the ICW to North Carolina. Still, the cost to ship to NC shouldn't be much more than $10k, assuming it is small enough to not require a pilot car. If the current boat is as you like it then the shipping cost will seem a bargain compared to the costs and time to sell the old boat and locate, buy, and outfit the new boat.

Many of us have had positive experiences with shipping our boats across the country (see that other thread) so don't be dissuaded if you want your boat on the east coast.